Store-service apparatus



(No Model.) A 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' O. E. FOSTER.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

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(No Model.) I 8SheetsShee.t .2.

O. E. FOSTER.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

No; 425,028. A Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

WITNESSES I V NTOR Wr'ri'bOu {aj' Bylul- .dttorney Q I r (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet- 3Q G. E. POSTER. STORE SERVIGE APPARATUS.

No. 425,028. Patented Apr. 8, 1890;

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WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. FOSTER, OF WVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSON CONSOLIDATED STORE SERVICE COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,028, dated April 8, 1890.

Application filed April 9,1888. Serial No. 270,025. (No'modeL) To all whom it mag "concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. FOsTER, a citizen of the United States, residing in WVashington, District of Columbia, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Store- Service Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of storeservice apparatus in which the carriers are provided with receptacles that can be pulled down from the bodies of the carriers while supported by the ways; and my invention consists in constructing the carriers and in combining with the carriers and the ways;

[5 winding devices, as fully set forth hereinafter, so that the receptacles of the carriers may be raised or lowered, or both, by the action of the Windin g devices after the carriers have reached their stations.

In the accompanying drawings, Figurel is an elevation of one line of a store-service apparatus illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view in part section, showing one of the carriers and the winding device therefor.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the carrier in section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an elevation illustrating a modification.

The track A, of wire or other suitable material, supports the carrier provided with wheels 0, adapted to the track, and from which is suspended a frame D of any suitable construction. The frame D supports a movable cash or parcel receptacle E through the medium of one or more flexible suspensories-as, for instance, cords to a-which are connected to the receptacle E and pass round a drum or drums b 1) upon a shaft 0, turning in hearings on the frame. One of the drums b has notches at the periphery of the head 3, against which bears a lever d, with arounded lug e, adapted to said notches, the said lever being depressed by a spring d and serving as a yielding detent for preventing the turning of the shaft until sufficient force is applied to overcome the spring action, the receptacle being thus held in its upward position.

When the receptacle arrives at its station the salesman, by seizing on the handle f at the bottom of the receptacle, may overcome the power of the detent and pull down the receptacle butI prefer to arrange adjacent to the track a contact or hearing, against which the detent is brought to move it away from the drum, and thus allow the receptacle to descend automatically by its own weight. A peculiar contact will be hereinafter described.

In order to restore thereceptacle to its elevated position, I provide awinding or elevat- 6o ing device that may be operated from the salesmans counter. In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the said winding device consists of ashaft g, supported in bearings h 71, secured to or adjacent to the track in line with the shaft 0, and the ends of the shafts being provided with clutchheads, which, when in engagement, couple the shafts to turn together. Thus the shaft 0 has an angular clutch-head is, adapted to the socketed clutch-head k on the shaft g. 7c

The shaft 9 carries a drum m, to which is connected a cord n, wound reversely to the winding of the cords on the drums b, and that passes round a pulley n on a handle W to an eye 72 said handle W being near the sales- 7 5 mans station;

The carrier is provided with any suitable catch for holding it in position on the end of the line. I prefer to use the detent d as the catch by forming it with a beveled end, and a shoulder 00 to engage an annular shoulder g on the clutch-head 7a, as the two heads of the clutch are coupled. The detent d thus acts both as a spring-detent for preventing the turning of the shaft 0 and its drums, and as a 8 5 spring-catch for holding the carrier at the terminus. When there are two levers or detents d, as shown, one lever or detent has an inner arm projecting upward, the other an arm projecting downward, and a link (1' con- 0 nects said arms, so that the detents will rise and fall together. I also provide means so as to release the lever or detent from the shaft 0 when the latter is clutched to the shaft g. Thus the flange 1; of the clutch-head 75, upon which is the shoulder y, is made of such depth that when the heads are coupled the detent (Z will be lifted out of contact with the drum (1,

and the shaft and its drums can turn freely to permit the descent of the receptacle. As the receptacle descends, the shafts c and g are turned and the cord n is wound upon the drum of the shaft 9, so that after the receptacle has been loaded and the salesman pulls upon the said cord at the drum on and shafts g and 0 will be revolved, together with the drums b l), and the receptacle will be lifted to its elevated position on the carrier. When the carrier is moved away from the winding device the detent will resume its position and hold the shaft 0 from further revolution and the receptacle in its place.

To release the catch when the carrier is to be moved from its position, the carrier is provided at each end with a lever 19, pivoted to the frame bearing against a spring 19 and with a bent end below the detent (I, so that when the hand of the salesman is pressed upon the lever p in the direction in which the carrier is to move both of the detents (1 will be elevated, the continued pressure propelling the carrier. To prevent the release of the shaft 0 when the detent is lifted by the lever 19, a rod 1) is pivoted to the latter and extends inward, so as to be brought into one of the notches of the head 3 when the lever p is pushed inward.

It will be evident that the above-described parts may be modified and changed without departing from the main features of my invention. Thus the clutch maybe differently constructed. There may be a single drum on the shaft 0 in the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, instead of two drums; or the movable receptacle may be connected directly or indirectly with the shaft 0. Thus in Fig. 5 the shaft 0 gears with a double drum upon which the cords are wound, a spring (Z bearing on a fiat part of the shaft to prevent it turning under the weight of the receptacle alone.

The handle XV may be weighted, so as to rotate the shafts and lift the receptacle automatically. In this, to avoid the necessity of holding the receptacle down, I use a weighted detent lever or pawl 'r, engaging ratchet-teeth s on the clutch-head It, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, so that the shafts can turn freely and lift the weight when the receptacle is pulled down by the salesman; but the shafts are locked by the detent until the latter is drawn back by means of a pendent cord 4-, when the weight will descend and lift the receptacle.

By the use of a carrier having a pull-down receptacle and a drum or drums on which the suspension-cords of the receptacle are wound and a winding device adjacent to the way, I am enabled to use a descending receptacle in connection with a way at a great elevation above the station.

Instead of turning the winding-shaft by means of a cord wound round the same, or round a drum thereof, it may be turned by any other suitable appliance as, for instance, by an electrical motor X, as an ordinary Griscom mot-or, Fig. 5-the armature being on the shaft and the magnet supported by one of the brackets Ya. In this case the winding device maybe driven to either raise or lower the receptacle, according to the direction in which the shafts are turned.

\V hen the eashiers desk is near one end of the way, and it is not necessary to raise and lower the receptacle at that end, the shaft 0 need have but one clutch-head.

\Vithout limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, I claim- 1. The combination, with the way, a carrier provided with a suspended movable rcceptacle, a shaft having a clutch-head, and a detent, of a winding-shaft adjacent to the Way having a clutch-head and a bearing for said detent arranged to lift the detent as the clutchheads engage, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the carrier provided with a drum-shaft, a detent having a shoulder, a winding-shaft arranged adjacent to the way and provided with a clutch-head and with an annular shoulder for engaging the detent, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the way with a carrier having a movable receptacle, a rotatable shaft having clutch-heads and drums thereon, cords connecting the receptacle and d ru ms, detents arranged adjacent to the drums and connected to move in unison, and the lovers 1) and a stationary winc'ling-shaft in position to couple with the shaft on the carrier, substantially as described.

a. The combination, with the carrier-shaft 0, its drums, the receptacle, and cords, and detent d, for holding the shaft, of a lever 1), hung to the carrier in position to lift the detent when the lower end of the lever is swung inward, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the carrier-shaft c, drums thereon, receptacle and cords connecting the latter and the drums, and a de tent (Z for engaging the shaft, of a pivoted lever 22 on the carrier in position to disengage the detent from the shaft, and a rod p carried by said lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

(ll IARLES E. FOSTE R. 

